Friday, November 18, 2005

Tarzan of the Apes

I thought I "knew" the story of Tarzan until I read this book by Edgar Rice Burroughs. After all, hadn't I seen the stories on television as a kid? In the movies as Greystoke or the Disney version? Nah, how wrong can you be! In general outline, you probably know the tale, but the animated, televised and filmed versions of Tarzan's life overlook a lot of interesting detail. For example, there's a lot of detail of Tarzan's life with the "apes" (not gorillas or chimps, as it is often depicted, but a "lost race" of primates). Tarzan learns to talk (multiple human languages), learns to read (on his own), heck, Tarzan even travels out of Africa (to the United States and Europe). The writing is not as "pulpy" as some of the work by Burroughs, this might be his high point. Good stuff!

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